Boise State Says Aloha To Last Season

August 25, 2007|BY CHRIS DUFRESNE LOS ANGELES TIMES

The ESPYs are over, the quarterback moved on, the cheerleader said "I do," the documentary is in the can and now, from the finest restaurant table in town, the Boise State Broncos have asked the head waiter for a reality check.

All that blue-carpet treatment the team received after the Broncos' startling Fiesta Bowl victory against Oklahoma last Jan. 1? "I got tired of it a long time ago," senior defensive end Nick Schlekeway said. "January 21st, or something like that. I got tired of talking about it. It's just one of those things: Nothing good can come of it."

Don't get him wrong. Sending Oklahoma back to Norman on a trick play in overtime was the best thing that ever happened at Spud State, but the program didn't shut down after the parade.

The 2007 schedule came out, and Boise State was on it, without quarterback Jared Zabransky, who went 33-5 as a starter. The next quarterback might be Taylor Tharp or Bush Hamdan, or Mike Coughlin or Nick Lomax.

Boise State lost 15 starters, seven from offense, off last year's 13-0 squad.

Despite winning five consecutive Western Athletic Conference crowns, and going 39-1 in league since 2002 - the only loss at Fresno State in 2005 - Boise State starts 2007 at Capitol Square One.

The media is definitely over it, picking Hawaii to win the WAC this year and Boise State to finish second.

The Boise coach, Chris Petersen, is on board with that, saying, "I think the team that's favored should be favored."

Boise State's toughest opponent this year may be Adulation Overload.

"If we sit there and say, 'We beat Oklahoma, we deserve all this,' it affects every training session from here on out," junior tailback Ian Johnson warned.

Petersen, at a recent media function, said he would be happy to address "non-Fiesta Bowl" questions, as if the big news that came out of that game was some kind of illicit scandal.

"Don't get me wrong," Petersen said. "We totally enjoyed last season, loved our experience, we were so happy to compete in the Fiesta Bowl. We'll remember those for a lifetime. But that was last season. But it's time to move on."

The boys of blue have enough potential to repeat as champions, though Petersen is quick to warn that "potential is what you lose with."

Boise State is not the same team that made history against Oklahoma. The page heading into this season is blank.